The Gold Coast Suns have finally validated their existence

Of all the new teams to enter the competition, none have shouldered the burden of expectation and failure quite like the Gold Coast Suns. 

Their 14-year wait to play finals is a modern AFL anomaly, especially when compared to their expansion foe in GWS and their rapid ascent up the ladder.

Since West Coast joined the VFL in 1990, four other non-Victorian teams have entered the league, yet none of them had to wait anywhere as long as Gold Coast did to play finals;

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For years, there was no excuse for the Suns. 

They were more than just a young team; they were a club where talent went to leave. 

Future premiership stars like Tom Lynch, Dion Prestia, Steven May, and Josh Caddy all departed for greener pastures and near-immediate success.

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And with this talent drain, the Suns continued to find themselves looking from the outside in. 

They collected two wooden spoons, one in 2011 and an unfathomable second in 2019—the same year GWS played in a grand final.

But finally they entered the Damien Hardwick era.

Hardwick’s arrival was a turning point for the club, providing not just a new voice but also a new, premiership-winning game plan - where he famously stated that 80 per cent of the Gold Coast's first premiership team was already on the list.

He spoke from the beginning about changing the club’s long-standing narrative and building a "brand new Suns." 

His philosophy focused on empowering his players to "play your moments" and making the team a relentless, high-pressure defensive unit.

Still, the Suns made their fans wait until deep into stoppage time of the 2025 season before they could finally confirm their place in the finals - but the drought is over and that dam wall has busted.